DC’s ‘Birds Of Prey’ Villain Will Reportedly Be Batman Foe Black Mask

Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn has already spent enough screentime opposite one sadistic Batman villain with a disturbing mug (remember Suicide Squad? It’s better not to). In DC’s upcoming female-centric Birds of Prey movie, she’ll face off with another popular Gotham City criminal, and this one has a penchant for masks.

Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey will feature Robbie’s Harley Quinn fighting with a pretty awesome female ensemble, including Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain (one of the many Batgirls), and Renee Montoya. And now we know who they’ll be fighting. According to The Wrap, Birds of Prey has reportedly found its villain in Black Mask.

In the DC Comics, Black Mask, also known as Romain Sionis, is a longtime Batman foe and criminal kingpin who sports a skull-shaped mask. After ruining his family’s cosmetics business and murdering his own parents (no biggie), Sionis assumed the identity of Black Mask and started his own criminal organization, the False Face Society. The character, created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, first appeared in Batman #386 in 1985. While he’s appeared in video games and animated direct-to-video features, Birds of Prey will mark his big screen debut.

Yan is directing the new DC spinoff from a script by Christina Hodson, who’s also penning the new Batgirl film. So far plot details and casting beyond Robbie have been kept under wraps, but production is expected to kick off next January.